A top Australian QC has been convicted of drink-driving after being caught behind the wheel with more than double the legal limit of alcohol in his bloodstream.
Colin Carruthers was pulled over by police in Upper Hutt when a blood test revealed he had 190mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood sloshing around his system. During his trial, reported in the New Zealand Herald, the Wellington barrister changed his plea from not guilty to guilty, possibly when he realised the legal limit is 80mg. Carruthers has been banned from driving for six months. While he should be able to scrape together the $800 fine and $400 costs, the Law Society may yet impose sanctions. It is all rather embarassing for the highly-regarded brief, who has worked on many high profile cases, including the presciently-named Winebox Inquiry into government corruption.
There must be something (whisky) in the water. This week New Zealand lawyer Richard Hill was also convicted of driving drunk. Hill tried to make the court suppress his name, presumably in a bid to bury his shame. And yet another lawyer is facing similar charges, this time for careless driving under the influence of alcohol. Police say Auckland barrister Satendra Prakash Singh had 144mg of booze per 100ml of blood, nearly twice the legal limit. He has pleaded not *hic* guilty.
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Colin Carruthers was pulled over by police in Upper Hutt when a blood test revealed he had 190mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood sloshing around his system. During his trial, reported in the New Zealand Herald, the Wellington barrister changed his plea from not guilty to guilty, possibly when he realised the legal limit is 80mg. Carruthers has been banned from driving for six months. While he should be able to scrape together the $800 fine and $400 costs, the Law Society may yet impose sanctions. It is all rather embarassing for the highly-regarded brief, who has worked on many high profile cases, including the presciently-named Winebox Inquiry into government corruption.
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Carruthers QC makes his way home |
There must be something (whisky) in the water. This week New Zealand lawyer Richard Hill was also convicted of driving drunk. Hill tried to make the court suppress his name, presumably in a bid to bury his shame. And yet another lawyer is facing similar charges, this time for careless driving under the influence of alcohol. Police say Auckland barrister Satendra Prakash Singh had 144mg of booze per 100ml of blood, nearly twice the legal limit. He has pleaded not *hic* guilty.